Believe it or not, airlines really are
trying to do better. They promised to improve customer service last year
{{U}}(21) {{/U}}pressure from a Congress which was {{U}}(22)
{{/U}} stories of nightmare flights. So why is it that
flying is getting {{U}}(23) {{/U}} for so many passengers, {{U}}(24)
{{/U}} airlines are spending billions of dollars to improve service,
{{U}}(25) {{/U}} in new equipment such as mobile check-in stations and
portable phone banks so travelers can quickly {{U}}(26) {{/U}} a flight
when it is delayed or canceled? The fact is that air travel has {{U}}(27)
{{/U}} been such an annoyance, and customer complaints to the Transportation
Department doubled in 1999 {{U}}(28) {{/U}} 1998. It
seems Mother Nature would {{U}}(29) {{/U}} people by bus this year. An
unusual run of bad weather, {{U}}(30) {{/U}} long walls of
thunderstorms, has crippled airports lately and led to widespread delays and
cancellations. After similar problems last summer, the FAA promised to work more
closely with airlines {{U}}(31) {{/U}} weather slowdowns--for example,
FAA and airline representatives now gather at a single location in Herndon, Va.
, to {{U}}(32) {{/U}} the best way to allocate the available airspace.
But even the FAA {{U}}(33) {{/U}} the new initiative has fallen
{{U}}(34) {{/U}} of expectations, and many passengers complain that the
delays seem {{U}}(35) {{/U}}. Part of the problem is
overcrowded planes. {{U}}(36) {{/U}} the strong economy, U.S. airlines
are expected to carry a record 665 million passengers this year, up 5
percent from last year. On {{U}}(37) {{/U}}, planes are about 76 percent
full these days, also a {{U}}(38) {{/U}}. That's good news for the
Transport Department, which are profitably loading more passengers {{U}}(39)
{{/U}} each flight, and bad news for passengers, {{U}}(40)
{{/U}} irritations build rapidly in fight
quarters.
【正确答案】
A
【答案解析】[精析] under pressure 为固定短语，表示“在压力下，被迫”。故选A。
【正确答案】
B
【答案解析】[精析] hold back 阻止；be fed up with 厌烦；take in 受骗；fill in with 用…填满。由上下文可知，国会应该是厌倦了恶梦般的飞行故事，因此B项最符合题意。
【正确答案】
B
【答案解析】[精析] inferior低等的；desperate 绝望的；fatal 致命的；worse 更差的。由下文“The fact is that air travel has {{U}}(27) {{/U}}been such an annoyance；and... ”可以看出，乘客的投诉越来越多，证明乘飞机旅行变得越来越糟，所以这里应该选B。
【正确答案】
C
【答案解析】[精析] as if 好像；so that 为的是…；even though 即使；now that 既然。由后文航空公司所做的努力和变得更糟的结果来看，前后分句是转折关系，故选C。
【答案解析】[精析] feature 作为及物动词表示“以…为特色”；capture 捕获，获得；distinguish 区别，使显出特色，一般与from 连用，即distinguish A from B；characterize 以…为特征，一般用于被动语态。这里是说坏天气主要是雷雨，故选A。
【正确答案】
B
【答案解析】[精析] be charged with 承担责任；respond to 回答，响应，有反应； reply to 回答，答复，一般指口头回答；abide by 遵守。本句中， airlines 和 weather slowdowns 之间是“航空公司负责天气引起延误”或“航空公司对天气引起延误作出反应”，如果选A，不应该是主动语态，故选B。
【正确答案】
C
【答案解析】[精析] draw in 拉进，拉入，诱使某人参与；follow up 追究，追查； figure out 想出；set aside 留出。这里是说航空公司的代表要想出最好的方法分配可用的领空，故选C。